The robotic control and articulation of objects has been the subject of many investigations. The control of the direction and magnitude of a magnetic field created by a multiplicity of articulated source magnets is a more complex topic that has been studied only more recently. In such a situation, the relatively simple geometric relationships defining transformations between fixed and moving coordinate systems used in ordinary robotics must be supplemented with knowledge of the magnetic fields generated by the source magnets. These fields are typically represented by non-linear functions that most often are not trigonometric in nature. While this problem has been investigated in a few specific cases, no general method has been described that allows automatic control of the magnets to generate a specific magnetic field at a given point in space. Embodiments of the present invention describe a general solution to this problem.
One of the embodiments of the methods disclosed applies to operator-directed control of the magnetic field direction and magnitude generated by two articulated magnets in an operating region. In a specific application, the magnets considered are permanent magnets generally facing one another and the operating region is centered in between the two magnets. The operator-directed control is executed by means of electromechanical positioners that move the two magnets appropriately. The six degrees of freedom (three for each magnet) allow each magnet to translate along the line between the two magnet centers, and each magnet to rotate in two angles θ and φ along respective axes. Other similar embodiments that could be used to control a multiplicity of magnets to generate a specific magnetic field (direction and magnitude) at a specific point in space are also included in the present invention.
In magnetic navigation applications, it is desirable to change the orientation (and possibly magnitude) of the magnetic field at the operating point to orient the tip of a catheter or guide wire with respect to the field. The catheter or guide wire is then guided through the subject's vasculature while being simultaneously pushed at the proximal insertion point. It is further desirable to provide a “proper turn” from the initial to the final field vector at the given operating point. A proper turn is a rotation of the magnetic field direction in the plane formed by these two vectors. The concept of a proper turn and its execution is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,702,804, issued Mar. 9, 2004, from application Ser. No. 09/678,640 filed Oct. 3, 2000, for Method for Safely and Efficiently Navigating Magnetic Devices in the Body, incorporated herein by reference.